The battle for survival and keep the business afloat in informal trading in Mutare, Zimbabwe

The study is an analysis of the cash flow management by informal traders at Mutare Flea Market in the unstable economy of Zimbabwe. The role played by informal business activities in the economic development of a country has been noted in nearly all the counties of the world. The quantitative approach dictated the research activities where a sample size of 82 was randomly selected in line with the probability sampling framework. Their views and perceptions were descriptively analysed and presented in form of frequency percentage tables and graphs. The study noted that the mobile money transfers, dodging the remittances of tax and other obligations, exploiting local resources for trading and diversification of trading products as strategies used by informal traders for survival. The researcher recommends that cash flow management can be successfully managed by the establishment of low interest loans for business loans to informal traders, capitalizing on local resources for products and trading essentials, creation of bank accounts that charge as you earn or low charging accounts, education on financial literacy through workshops and networking and the rotating of savings and credit associations.